The present invention pertains to a fluid coupling and more particularly to a fluid coupling having coupling members that are quickly connectable and disconnectable and also to a coded fluid coupling that is quickly connectable and latchable but only if the coupling members match and to a method for their use.
In various industries, it is necessary to use many chemicals in the manufacturing process. In the semiconductor industry, for example, some fifteen to twenty liquid chemicals are typically stored in adjacent fifty-gallon supply drums from which they are dispensed during the manufacture of the semiconductors. In the usual installation, sets of separate umbilical delivery lines for various chemicals are suspended above the drums with a particular set dedicated to a particular chemical. Each set of delivery lines is connected to its associated supply drum by a coupling that has one coupling member on the delivery lines and a second coupling member on the drum.
As each supply drum is emptied during the manufacturing process, a full drum is brought in to replace the empty one. Accordingly, the coupling members must be repeatedly connected and disconnected. Because of the incompatibility of the chemicals, it is critical that each set of delivery lines be connected only to its intended drum to avoid unsafe mixing and undesired contamination. Moreover, to maintain productivity, such connections and disconnections must be made quickly and routinely by production personnel.
To insure correct connection of delivery lines to their intended supply drums, the known chemical extraction apparatus uses fluid couplings that incorporate matching coding elements on the coupling members. Examples of such fluid couplings and their coding devices are shown and described in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,699,298 to Grant et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,015 to Rauworth et al. A significant disadvantage of these known couplings, however, is that they cannot be as quickly connected and disconnected as is desired. Although referred to as quick-connect couplings, they use threaded parts to secure the connection. Repeated threading and unthreading of couplings over a production run consumes a significant amount of valuable time and also can produce additional delays if the threads become fouled and otherwise fail to mesh properly.
Fluid couplings that can be connected and disconnected without threading are of course available and are truly quick-connect and -disconnect couplings. Examples of known quick-connect couplings are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,436,125 to Blenkush and U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,725 to Meyer et al. Such known couplings of this type, however, are not suitable for the chemical extraction industry or other industries where matched connections are mandatory since they make no provision for coding, that is, insurance against making mismatches. Moreover, the latching mechanisms used in such known quick-connect couplings do not lend themselves to balanced and dependable two-handed operation by personnel in production processes such as described above.
The copending reissue application of Kazarian, Application Ser. No. 091693,627, filed Oct. 20, 2000 which is a reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 6,007,107 granted Dec. 28, 1999 which is based on Kazarian Application Ser. No. 08/683,516, filed Jul. 12, 1996, entitled Fluid Coupling For Matching Delivery and Supply Lines Irrespective Of The Relative Rotational Positions Of The Coupling Members, and having a common assignee with the present application, is one solution to the problems set forth above. The invention of the present application provides an alternative solution.
A fluid coupling including coded and non-coded embodiments and a method for their use are provided. The coded embodiment allows interconnection of only matching fluent material delivery and supply lines while preventing the inadvertent connection of mismatched lines in a system where there are matched and mismatched delivery and supply lines. Both embodiments of the coupling include axially movable first and second coupling members and a radially operating latch. The coupling members are releasably slideably, axially interfitted with their fluid passageways in communication, and the latch moves radially of the passageways to secure the couplings when they are intermitted. In the coded embodiment, key coding elements on the coded coupling members are movable into matched interengagement when the supply and delivery lines are matched but are precluded from moving into matched interengagement when the lines are mismatched. If a match exists, the coding elements interfit by limited rotation of one of the key coding elements but without rotation of the coupling members and without any threading action of the parts. A mechanism latches the couplings together when the key coding elements match and allows the coupling members to interfit but does not latch when the key coding elements do not match and thus do not allow an interfit. In both embodiments, the coupling members are uncoupled solely by axial separation of the parts, again with out threading, and in the case of the first embodiment, without even any rotation of the parts. In both cases, therefore, neither the coupling members, the coding elements, nor the latch involves threaded connections, whether for connection or disconnection or for latching or unlatching.
An object of this invention is to provide an improved fluid coupling.
Another object is to provide a coded quick-connect and disconnect coupling for use in a chemical extraction system involving supply drums of chemicals and separate delivery lines suspended above the drums.
A further object is to improve the productivity and safety of dispensing a plurality of incompatible chemicals through different delivery lines from different supply drums in a manufacturing process.
A still further object is to provide a simplified coupling that enables dependable quick connection and quick disconnection of the coupling members.
Additionally, an object is to reduce the manufacturing costs of a quick-connect coupling.
Another object is to provide an interactive key coding system and latching mechanism in a quick-connect coupling wherein the coupling members cannot be coupled and latched unless they match.
Yet another object is to provide a simplified quick-connect coupling that does not involve threading or unthreading of the parts.
An additional object is to provide a coupling for supply and delivery lines that allows establishing a coupling without twisting of the lines or relative rotation of the coupling members or threading of the parts and without regard to the relative rotational positions of the coupling members prior to or during interfitting thereof.
A still further object is to provide a key-coded, quick-connect coupling that does not require swiveling of its coupling members for connection but permits the parts being coupled to swivel relative to each other without affecting the rapidity of interconnecting matched coupling members and without affecting the operation of coupling.
Another object is to minimize the time required dependably to connect and disconnect matched coupling members of a coded coupling or to determine that the coupling members are mismatched and will not couple.
An additional object is to provide a key coding system for a coupling that can handle many different combinations of matches and mismatches.
Yet another object is to provide a balanced coding system for a coded quick-connect coupling that lends itself to two-handed operation by a user.
A still further object is to provide an indicator that allows an operator to confirm whether the coupling members are matched and interfitted or whether they are mismatched and not interfitted.
Another object is to isolate the coding and latching elements of a quick-connect coupling from the fluids carried by the coupling and to provide such elements with protection from the fluids.
An additional object is provide a quick-connect fluid coupling in which latching members are captured in the coupling by the assembly thereof.
A further object is to provide a method for using the couplings disclosed herein.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reference to the following description, accompanying drawings, and appended claims.